Diablo 4: Vessel Of Hatred Launch And Preload Times Revealed

Diablo 4’s Vessel of Hatred expansion is nearly here, and now Blizzard has revealed precisely when players can dive into the ARPG’s first expansion.

Vessel of Hatred technically launches on October 8, but will be playable on October 7 for those in North and South America. Below is exactly when servers will go live in each region.

• 10/7 4 PM PT
• 10/7 5 PM MT
• 10/7 6 PM CT
• 10/7 7 PM ET
• 10/7 8 PM BRT
• 10/8 12 AM BST
• 10/8 1 AM CEST
• 10/8 8 AM KST
• 10/8 10 AM AEDT

As for when heroes of Sanctuary can pre-download the new expansion, those playing on PC via Blizzard’s own Battle.net can install the expansion starting later today, September 30. Those playing on Xbox or PlayStation consoles will have to wait until 4 PM PT on October 5. There will be no way to install the expansion ahead of time for those playing on Steam.

The launch of Diablo 4 will not only introduce the expansion, but also bring major updates to the base game. Diablo 4’s difficulty system is getting a major rework alongside significant changes to many classes and the game’s Paragon system. All of those changes will be included as part of a free update that doesn’t require the Vessel of Hatred expansion.

For those who do own Vessel of Hatred, the game’s first expansion will introduce a new story campaign and region to explore, alongside the new Spiritborn class, a “first of its kind” endgame co-op dungeon, hireable Mercenaries, and the return of Runewords.

There will be some freebies up for grabs to celebrate the expansion’s launch. From October 8 to November 8, players can snag three free weapon appearances from the in-game shop. A Twitch Drop campaign will also kick off on October 8 and run through November 5. Watching three hours of an eligible Diablo 4 stream each week will unlock cosmetic rewards available for the game’s original five classes, with those who buy or gift subscriptions to eligible streamers earning a mount and mount armor.